Anushasana Parva Adhyaya 10 Shloka 1 - Mahabharata | Lao | Vedapath

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Shloka 1

उपदेशदोषप्रसङ्गः (Upadeśa-doṣa-prasaṅgaḥ) — The Risk of Misapplied Counsel

Devanagari script

अपन क्राता बछ। अं काज दशमो< ध्याय: अनधिकारीको उपदेश देनेसे हानिके विषयमें एक शूद्र और तपस्वी ब्राह्मणकी कथा युधिछिर उवाच मित्रसौहार्दयोगेन उपदेशं करोति यः । जात्याधरस्य राजर्षेदोषस्तस्य भवेन्न वा

Transliteration

Yudhiṣṭhira uvāca: mitra-sauhārda-yogena upadeśaṃ karoti yaḥ | jāty-adharasya rājarṣe doṣas tasya bhaven na vā ||

Translation

ຢຸທິສຖິຣະກ່າວວ່າ: «ໂອ ຣາຊະຣິສິ, ຖ້າຜູ້ໃດຖືກຂັບເຄື່ອນໂດຍມິດຕະພາບ ແລະຄວາມເມດຕາດີ ແລ້ວໃຫ້ຄຳສອນແກ່ຜູ້ມີຖານະສັງຄົມຕ່ຳກວ່າ, ການນັ້ນຈະເປັນໂທດແກ່ເຂົາຫຼືບໍ່? ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າປາຖະໜາຮູ້ໃຫ້ຖືກຕ້ອງ. ຂໍໃຫ້ທ່ານອະທິບາຍຢ່າງລະອຽດ, ເພາະເສັ້ນທາງແຫ່ງທັມມະນັ້ນລະອຽດອ່ອນ ແລະມະນຸດມັກຕົກຢູ່ໃນຄວາມຫຼົງ.»

Word by Word

युधिष्ठिरःYudhiṣṭhira

उवाचsaid

मित्रfriend

सौहार्दamity, goodwill

योगेनby means of, through (connection)

मित्रसौहार्दयोगेनthrough the bond of friendship and goodwill

उपदेशम्instruction, advice

करोतिdoes, gives

यःwho

जातिbirth, caste

अधरस्यof a lower (person)

जात्याधरस्यof one low by birth/caste

राजर्षेO royal sage

दोषःfault, blame

तस्यof him

भवेत्would be, might arise

नnot

वाor

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

Yudhiṣṭhira

Bhīṣma (addressed implicitly as the elder/grandsire and rājarṣi in context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames an ethical dilemma: whether the moral status of giving guidance depends on the recipient’s social rank, or on the giver’s intention and the nature of the counsel. It highlights that dharma is subtle and must be judged carefully, not by simplistic rules.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira asks the elder authority (Bhīṣma) to clarify whether a person incurs fault by instructing someone considered socially ‘lower,’ when the instruction is motivated by friendship and goodwill. This question introduces a discussion (and later an illustrative story) about the risks and propriety of giving counsel to the unqualified.